Melissa Elsworth

Melissa specialises in all aspects of family law relating to children, including both private and public law proceedings.

Within the private law sphere, she has extensive experience of complex cases, including those involving serious allegations of abuse, intractable opposition to contact, high conflict, as well as leave to remove applications. Melissa is instructed to represent parents as well as the child(ren), through their 16.4 Guardian.

In addition to this, Melissa has significant experience of the law surrounding surrogacy, fertility treatment and LGBT families, in particular, applications for Parental Orders, Declarations of Parentage, and private law disputes arising out of surrogacy arrangements. Melissa has appeared in numerous reported cases within this area (both within the High Court and the Court of Appeal), is regularly led by prominent silks, and has provided many seminars/talks within this field. Melissa is recognised as having wide-ranging experience and knowledge of this area, which is beyond her year of call. Indeed, Mrs Justice Theis referred to Melissa within the judgment of Y v Z [2022] EWFC 157 (Fam) as being a ‘specialist in this area’.

Within the public law sphere, Melissa is instructed in a wide range of cases, acting for the Local Authority, parents or the Guardian, including cases involving vulnerable parents, allegations of non-accidental injury and child death, international issues, deprivation of liberty, and radicalisation.

Year of Call: 2015